Vacant shops could be turned into homes to tackle the housing shortage across Meath and Ireland – English

Friday, 15th December 2017

Vacant shops could soon be turned into homes to help tackle the
housing shortage in Meath and Ireland.

This is the proposal of local Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal
and Meath West Fine Gael T.D. Damien English which was brought forward
to Government during the week so that vacant commercial premises can
be made into housing without the need for planning permission.

Minister English said: “These draft regulations, if approved by the
Oireachtas, will allow the conversion of certain vacant commercial
premises here in Meath such as empty retail units and “over the shop”
type spaces to homes without the need for planning permission.

“This will have the dual benefit of creating urgently needed housing
supply in high demand areas, while at the same time breathing new life
into our towns and urban areas- many of which have been adversely
affected by the economic downturn.

“Fine Gael in Government, and myself and Minister Murphy in our
Department are fully committed to bringing as many vacant properties
as possible back into use and maximising the use of existing
resources.”

“These new regulations, brought forward by myself and my colleague
Minister Eoghan Murphy, will make it easier for property owners to
re-imagine the use of vacant and under-used buildings without having
to go through the planning process.

“These are the first of a series of measures being developed by my
Department to streamline the various regulatory requirements relating
to the conversion of vacant spaces for residential use”.

“We want to once again show how the planning system can be responsive
to current needs and demands, by removing the need for planning
consent where appropriate and thereby provide greater efficiencies in
the system.

“All elements of the three sets of proposals brought forward today
have the potential to have a very real and positive impact on the
people of Meath and beyond.

“The Joint Oireachtas Committee will discuss these proposals in early
2018 so that the new provisions can be brought into operation as soon
as possible” concluded Minister English.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

The Planning Act provides that the Minister may make regulations to
provide that certain classes of development shall be exempted from the
requirement to obtain planning permission.  The three sets of draft
exempted development regulations now proposed relate to exemptions
for:

Ø  development by Irish Water related to the provision of water
services and the undertaking of normal day to day activities relating
to same, such as maintenance type works,

Ø  the change of use, and any related works, relating to the
conversion of vacant commercial premises for residential use (subject
to certain limitations), on foot of the commitment in Rebuilding
Ireland in this regard, and

Ø  amending existing provisions relating to certain works by statutory
undertakers in providing telecommunications services, to support the
rollout of the National Broadband Plan and extended mobile phone
coverage.

Property Industry Ireland Conference Speech

Speech by Minister of State for Housing and Planning – Damien English T.D. at the Property Industry Ireland Conference on Living and working in Ireland to 2040 – impacts on Irish Property Industry

Marker Hotel Dublin 27^th September 8.15 am

PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY N.B.

• I am delighted to open this prestigious event this morning in Dublin’s docklands, an area whose regeneration is very visible evidence of both the success of our government’s economic policies and demonstrating what real plan-led development delivers for our society.

 

• Your event today comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s Government approval of the publication of a consultation draft of Ireland 2040 – The National Planning Framework.

 

• The views of the public, including your organisation, are now invited up until 3^rd November 2017 and indeed Mr Niall Cussen, my Department’s Chief Planner will give a brief run-through the document later this morning.

 

• Furthermore, when finalised later this year after the current public consultation phase, the Government intends to publish the final version of the NPF with a 10 year capital investment programme or National Investment Plan as both a strategic vision and the investment strategy to transform our country.

 

• We will ensure that investment in housing, transport, communications, energy systems, amenities and community facilities are sequenced properly, achieving long-term agreed planning aims.

 

• The key elements of the strategy behind Ireland 2040 are:

1. Better strategically planning for our cities, including Dublin as our capital and key international driver;
2. Growing Ireland’s four other cities (Cork, Waterford, Galway and Limerick), by 40-50% in the two decades ahead, (a faster rate than our capital).
3. Addressing connectivity to and opportunities within Ireland’s regions and rural areas; and
4. Securing more compact forms of development to reduce sprawl and to provide more choice.

 

• With our population expected to grow by 1million people by 2040, we need to manage such growth effectively, this means
  • a quarter of those being facilitated in the Greater Dublin Area,
  • a further quarter catered for in the other four cities; and
  • the remaining 50% within the towns, villages and rural areas across the country and on a proportionate basis.

 

• Successful implementation of the NPF will translate into a more strategic development path for our country with a better distribution of regional growth, employment and prosperity.

 

Housing & Rebuilding Ireland

• Beyond the strategic focus of Ireland 2040, the number one issue the Government currently faces is housing and homelessness.

 

• Currently, every working day, we provide housing for 80 individuals and families.  There are 20,000 new tenancies a year because we believe everyone should have a home.

 

• We are being imaginative in how we approach the crisis, and we will do all that is necessary to solve it.

 

• We will build more council houses and apartments and we will service the ample amounts of development land our planning process has already identified, not fuelling a further urban sprawl by zoning more land.

 

• To deliver more homes in the places we need them most – in our cities, as well as to deliver on the aims and objectives of Ireland 2040 in terms of compact development over the longer-term, we will make apartments more affordable to provide, in greater numbers in our city centre areas.

 

• In this regard, Ireland 2040 clearly signals that we need to develop upwards, rather than outwards in our cities using the huge potential from state owned lands through a new estate and portfolio management approach.

 

• We have made significant progress under Rebuilding Ireland – the Government’s Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, for example over 19,000 new social housing solutions were provided in 2016, with a further 21,000 such supports to be delivered in 2017.

 

• However, significant challenges remain and, one year on from Rebuilding Ireland’s publication, a focused review has been carried out, to assess the impacts of the new investments, policies and initiatives and consider where to focus and redouble efforts to address the supply and affordability issues that persist.

 

• Amongst other things, the review is aiming to:
• identify additional measures, particularly, new/additional supply side measures for social, private and rented accommodation, with an emphasis on affordability;
• deliver a range of ambitious and realistic measures to address vacant housing and provide a disincentive to vacancy in future;
  • find ways of reducing construction costs and improving the viability of apartment and house building;
  • identify ways of delivering sustainable mixed tenure solutions on sites of scale;
  • Further ramp up of the direct local authority social housing building programme; and introduce of a new affordable housing policy.

 

• Your organisation is unique because of the way in which it brings the many facets of our property sector together, from funding to planning and from construction to property management.

 

• Your organisation has a huge role to play in helping Government to develop and adjust the regulatory and policy framework for the development of a healthy property sector and one that plays a proper and proportionate role in our society and economy.

 

• My Department looks forward to working with Property Industry Ireland in the ongoing implementation of Rebuilding Ireland and in finalising and implementing Ireland 2040 and very much appreciates the valuable input and submissions received from your organisation to these processes.

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

Speech to Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland in Maynooth

Address by Mr. Damien English, T.D. Minister of State

at the

Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland /SCSI National Conference 2017:

on

Friday, 31 March 2017 at 4:15 p.m. at Carton House, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be here this afternoon at the SCSI National Conference 2017 to explore the many difficult and complex challenges facing the construction sector which are being dealt with by your profession.

As you will all be aware, the Government and I have made it our number one priority to resolve the housing and homelessness crisis and under ‘Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness’ we have set out a broadly based and comprehensive set of actions to do just that.

However we cannot implement this plan in isolation. We will need both collaboration and assistance from all of our partners involved in housing provision including industry professionals, such as SCSI members.

Shortage of critical Skills in the Construction Sector

To reach our Rebuilding Ireland objective to increase housing output to at least 25,000 homes per annum by 2021 – a doubling of 2015 output levels – requires the necessary skilled work force to be available.

It is crucuial that any new jobs created are available and accessible to those who are unemployed, and that their wealth of experience and talent can contribute to the recovery of the sector.

Significant work has been carried out under Rebuilding Ireland Department of Education; SOLAS; and the Apprenticeship Council with regard to improving skills and education in the sector and I would encourage continued consultation with the sector in that regard.

Affordability – Housing Delivery Costs

One of the challenges the Government faces is providing quality homes at a cost that is affordable. Under Rebuilding Ireland the Government committed to a broad range of measures to tackle, among other things, some of the costs associated with the provision of housing in the interests of reducing construction overheads.

This included a commitment to undertake a detailed analysis, in conjunction with the construction sector, to benchmark housing delivery input costs in Ireland, in order to facilitate an increased level of housing output into the future.

A working group, chaired by my Department, with a broad range of industry representatives was established late last year and has met several times. I am pleased to say that the group has benefited from positive contributions from industry including members of the SCSI.

Building Control Regulations – Reform

The aim of the building control regulatory framework is to ensure that a home or a building is designed and constructed in compliance with the relevant requirements of the Building Regulations.

Too many serious and unprecedented failures have affected our construction industry and economy over the past decade or so. Failures such as pyrite, defective blocks and fire safety which has given rise to difficulties and distress among the many affected homeowners.

The development of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 9 of 2014) was introduced to empower competence and professionalism on construction projects and establishing a chain of responsibility that begins the owner who must assign competent persons to design, build, inspect and certify the building works and who, in turn, must account for their contribution through the lodgement of compliance documentation, inspection plans and statutory certificates.

Social Housing – Getting the balance right

My Department’s policy is to achieve an appropriate and balanced mixture of tenures in new developments in order to avoid large mono tenure estates where difficulties have necessitated considerable public expenditure in regeneration.

My Department provides guidance on the scale of social housing which would be suitable in a particular context or area. This guidance is based on the size of the host town or city and the proportionate nature of the development to ensure good social integration and cohesion. For example a maximum size of 75 dwellings in any single mono tenure housing development applies in large urban areas with proportional reductions in size for smaller towns and villages.

Ideally all developments should provide for a mix of tenures and dwelling sizes to cater for all. Consistent with this policy, Part V of the Planning and Development Act is structured to deliver Social Housing in private housing developments.

 Conclusions

Returning to a normally functioning housing and construction sector is critically important in order to support economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability which will benefit all of our citizens.

While there are many challenges currently facing the housing and the wider construction sectors, we remain fully committed to meeting these challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen thank you for inviting me here today and I wish you every success over the remainder of your conference.

Thank you

Minister English confirms Navan and Meath to benefit from new Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund

Tuesday, 28th March 2017

€8,180,000 for projects to create 700 homes, with longterm potential
for 2,170 says Meath based Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal

Navan and Ratoath are to benefit from a new Government fund announced
today to help Meath County Council address significant public
infrastructure deficits, where the lack of enabling and accessing
infrastructure has been hindering the necessary development of
housing.

The following are the details of the 2 Meath based projects:

Farganstown, Navan
€5.68m
Access infrastructure to be provided – Distributor Road
No. of Houses to be provided: 400
Long term potential: 1800

Ratoath
€2.5m
Access infrastructure to be provided – Outer Relief Road
No. of Houses to be provided: 300
Long term potential: 370

Minister English said: “The Government is very serious about tackling
Meath and Ireland’s housing crisis. Today’s new fund shows it is a
priority. It represents joined up thinking, pooling of resources and
innovation between local and national Government and private partners
to achieve real results for local communities and for families who
need homes. Today’s announcement is not just about new homes for Navan
and Ratoath, it means that both of these  two communiities and our
County can grow and develop to their full potential in very respect,
economically as well as socially and sustainably.”

Local Fine Gael Councillor for the Navan Area, Cllr. Jim Holloway
said: “The development of the lands at Farganstown has long been a
priority for me as a local Councillor for Navan. I am delighted with
this news today which will mean 400 homes in the short term, with a
long term potential for 1,800 new homes. This development will allow
Navan to reach its full potential, consistent with its Local Area
Plan, the County Development Plan and Meath’s Economic Strategy.
Furthermore it means upwards of 1,800 families into the future have
the dignity and the comfort of a home to call their own, convenient to
where they work, are educated and can play.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Ø €226million for strategic infrastructure to facilitate housing nationally

Ø 23,000 homes by 2021 is the target

Ø 34  projects across 15 Local Authority areas including Meath announced today

The Government has been aware for some time that the housing crisis
would need to be addressed in a number of different ways.  Pillar 3 of
Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness focuses
on increasing overall housing supply and seeks to address the severe
housing shortage in urban areas.  One of the main elements of the
Pillar is the establishment of a €200 million Local Infrastructure
Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF), with €150 million to be provided from
Exchequer funding and matching funding of €50 million from Local
Authorities.

Local authorities were invited to submit proposals for investment in
public infrastructure such as roads, bridges and amenity spaces, with
the objective of relieving critical infrastructural blockages, which
would in turn enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key
development sites and improve the viability of new housing projects in
urban areas of high demand for housing. The call for proposals for the
€200 million fund was announced on 26 August 2016, with a closing date
of 14 October 2016.

Speech to RGDATA on Town Centres

Opening Address by

Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal

Damien English T.D

Town Centre Health Check (TCHC) Workshop

16 March 2017

Dublin Castle

Revitalising Ireland’s Towns: Pilot Training Workshop No. 2 (2 of 2)

 

Ladies and gentleman, as Minister with responsibility for Housing and Urban Renewal, I am delighted to be here with you this morning.

 

I would like to thank RGDATA and the Heritage Council for the invitation to be here for what promises to be a very interesting and informative workshop.

 

I would also like to commend both organisations, and their partners, for their continued work towards the development and creation of a robust Town Centre Health Check mechanism for Irish towns.

 

I understand that significant progress has been made to date under the programme and I wish to acknowledge the concerted efforts of all those involved in the participating pilot towns across the country.

 

In particular, I welcome the co-operative and inclusive approach being taken by you and all the stakeholders in developing this training programme.

 

 

Town Centre Health Checks

Our town centres are much more than simply bricks and mortar. They are the core, the essence, and the lifeblood of our urban areas throughout the country.

 

It is therefore imperative that they are preserved, maintained and revitalised so that they can be sustainable for generations to come.

 

Following our recent economic downturn and the negative impacts associated with it, we now face the increasing challenge of ensuring that our town centres can be viable places which will attract people to live in, work in and visit.

 

One of the most negative and visible impacts of the recent economic downturn has unquestionably been the large levels of vacancy in the retail, commercial and residential sectors in some of our town centres.

 

The trend of developing new retail centres on the edge of towns has also led to a loss of trade, footfall and vitality within the inner core areas of towns.

The vibrancy of many main streets and urban centres has been threatened by such past actions.

 

It is my firm belief though, that we now have a great opportunity to develop and plan for our Town Centres so that they not only survive, but they thrive.

 

I believe also that the Town Centre Health Check training programme will contribute strongly to seizing the opportunity for our urban centres across the country.

 

It focusses on utilising best practice, including international best practice, in developing shared and integrated approaches to town centre renewal, across all sectors – retail, commercial and residential – which will also support Government policies and strategies for our towns.

 

The reality is that if our urban areas are to survive and thrive, they need more residents supplemented by nearby retail units and services – the two are interdependent.

 

This is largely what the Town Centre Health check concept is aimed at addressing – revitalising our towns and enhancing their economic sustainability – and both Minister Coveney and I are fully supportive of this approach.

 

Government priority on Urban Regeneration

The Programme for a Partnership Government, published in May 2016, sets out the ambitious priority attached to the area of urban regeneration by the current Government. It includes a series of specific actions aimed at facilitating the regeneration of our urban centres.

 

The Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland, published in July 2016, further reinforces the Government’s commitment to the area of urban regeneration.

 

This proposes a further range of measures in this area, as does the recent Action Plan for Rural Development – published in January 2017 by Minister Humphries – which has a more specific focus and objective of preserving and enhancing rural towns and villages, as well as their surrounding communities.

In the context of Rebuilding Ireland, I am presently chairing an Urban Renewal Working Group comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and other relevant bodies with a view to bringing forward proposals for new urban regeneration measures.

 

Measures that will support those already in place, including my Department’s Social Housing Regeneration Programme and the recently announced “Repair and Lease” and the “Buy and Renew” schemes.

 

Having regard to my Ministerial responsibilities, vacancy and dereliction in urban areas is an issue that I have a particular interest in.

 

Consequently a key focus of the Working Group has been on measures to address vacancy in urban areas, of both residential and commercial premises, with a view to bringing currently vacant units back into productive use.

 

We are now nearing the conclusion of the Working Group’s deliberations.

It is my intention to announce the new urban regeneration measures arising from that process in the near months ahead. Measures that will be designed to help our Town Centres to survive and thrive.

 

Sustainable urban development

The challenges facing Ireland today are undoubtedly complex ones. This is particularly the case in cities and urban areas having regard to:

• the ongoing increase in population,
• increasing migration,
• changing demographic trends, and
• the ongoing increasing urbanisation of society as more and more people gravitate towards living in larger urban areas.

 

Cities and towns are the main drivers of economic activity, competing to attract skills, investment and employment.

 

It is consequently important that a comprehensive, holistic and integrated approach is adapted to sustainable urban development.

 

Enhancing the desirability and “liveability” of our urban centres through good place-making, and promoting well-managed, liveable, safe, socially inclusive, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable urban areas is key to this.

 

In this regard, key urban place-making incorporates a range of complex and inter-related issues:

• the design of public spaces;

 

• the provision of supporting infrastructure and public realm;

 

• the need for more compact and efficient urban design;

 

• increased housing density maximizing the use of available land to help combat urban sprawl;

 

• the provision of necessary facilities, including retail, as well as other supporting amenities and open spaces;

 

• the prioritisation of sustainable transport modes;

 

• increasing energy efficiency;

 

• as well as tackling deprivation and related social issues in communities.

 

The overlapping nature of these quite complex, distinct and diverse range of issues is such that there is a need to consider an overall strategy.

A national, comprehensive and forward-looking urban policy – that will allow the opportunities in urban areas to be fully realised.

 

One that will enshrine that the right development will take place in the right location, at the right time.

 

National Planning Framework – Ireland 2040

All of this requires a comprehensive and integrated overarching framework approach to planning, to design and to the provision of supporting infrastructure and services.

 

This applies whether we are improving the existing urban environment already in place, accommodating new development, or both.

 

In this connection, my Department is currently in the process of developing a new spatial plan for Ireland, a National Planning Framework entitled Ireland 2040.

 

Public consultation has already commenced and which it is intended will be finalised and published later this year.

The new plan will set out an overarching, long-term framework to guide future development in terms of the Government objectives – including in relation to urban development – to be taken account of in the subsequent development of regional strategies, local authority development plans and LAP’s.

 

In setting out a national vision for the future development and growth of Ireland to 2040, a key policy consideration will be how we best manage our urban centres, development in and around those urban centres, as well as how we control the urban sprawl associated with urban growth centres.

 

In the last twenty years, 45% of Ireland’s population growth (more than 500,000 people), occurred in just six local authority areas, each of which adjoin, but none of which include, Dublin, Cork and Galway.

 

Against this background, it is therefore important in the context of our new national spatial plan that the focus of investment and development will be spread more widely than in the past to act as a counter-balance to Dublin, thereby facilitating more balanced regional development of the country as a whole.

Concluding remarks

By way of conclusion, cities and towns are where most of our population now congregate and it is therefore imperative that in this context, every effort is made to make our urban centres more sustainable.

 

To make our urban centres better places in which to live, work and do business in for all of our citizens. Together we can put the plans in place to facilitate this and the Town Centre Health Check is important in this regard.

 

I renew my congratulations, support and thanks to Alison Harvey from the Heritage Council, to Tara Buckley and RGDATA.

 

I thank you all for engaging in your local Town Centre.

 

Together we can ensure that or town centres survive.

 

Together we will help our town centres thrive.

Thank you.

Address to the National Housing Conference 2017:

Address by Mr. Damien English, T.D.

Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal 

at the National Housing Conference 2017:

Rebuilding Ireland – Delivering a Sustainable Housing Recovery 

on

Monday, 13 February 2017 at 2:20 p.m.

at

Main Conference Room, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

Introduction

• Ladies and gentlemen, as Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, I am delighted to be here this afternoon to open the National Housing Conference 2017
  
  
• I wish to thank you for taking the time to travel to Dublin this afternoon to attend and take part in the conference.

 

• I look forward to listening to you and to hearing your views on‘Rebuilding Ireland – Delivering a Sustainable Housing Recovery’.
  
  
• I wish to thank the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and my own Department for organising this biennial event.  

 

• I understand that as far back as 1969, long before I was born, that our two organisations identified the importance of promoting quality housing in Ireland.  

 

• To that end, a joint committee was formed to arrange this biennial event – a forum where the latest developments in housing, both public and private, could be presented and discussed by those involved with their design and delivery.
  
  
• With this in mind, it is important to reiterate that the acute shortage of homes available to those who need them is one of the greatest challenges facing this country today.  

 

• It is having a profound effect on the daily lives of many individuals and families who feel they have been failed by the system and who ultimately need homes.
  
  
• As you will all be aware, the Government, my Department, Minister Coveney and I have made it our number one priority to resolve the housing crisis.

 

• ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ is our Action Plan which sets out to resolve this societal and economic problem.

 

• I am delighted that many of the core themes in our Action Plan will feature strongly in your deliberations over the next two days.

 

• Because ‘Rebuilding Ireland’ cannot be implemented in isolation.

 

•  Collaboration and assistance is required.

 

• They are required from you here today – our partners.  They are required from everyone involved in housing provision:

 

• RIAI members
• Academics
• Policy makers
• Planners
• Local Authorities
• Approved Housing Bodies
• Financial Institutions
• Landowners
• Site Owners
• The list is endless
  
  Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan
  
  

• “Rebuilding Ireland” sets out a practical and readily implementable group of actions that will increase housing supply in support of creating a functioning and sustainable housing system that is capable of: –
  
  
• providing homes for families in emergency accommodation;
  
  
• tackling the underlying causes of people living on our streets;
  
  
• producing a minimum of 25,000 housing units nation-wide every year by 2020;
  
  
• responding to meet future housing needs post-2020; and
  
  
• delivering more social housing, much faster, in tandem with putting in place financially sustainable mechanisms to meet current and future requirements for social housing supports.
• Since taking up my role as Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, I have seen daily the impacts that the housing shortage is having on our people and their families.  I have seen how the system is struggling to cope with, and devise solutions to, our housing problems.
  
  
• “Rebuilding Ireland” is, I believe, an enabling plan that will resolve the housing problems and will solve our housing shortage in Ireland.  

 

• The plan is backed up by a commitment of funding.  We have set out €5.35 billion to make a massive impact in providing much needed social housing.

 

• We have provisions for a €200m infrastructure fund that will unlock the potential of key sites to deliver thousands of homes to the market.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2016 Delivery
  
  
• To concentrate on the challenge of delivering more social housing, in a faster manner – I believe that we have made a good start since “Rebuilding Ireland” was first published in July 2016.
  
  
• Last year, over 18,300 social housing supports were provided across a range of delivery programmes.  

 

• Preliminary data shows that around 5,280 new social houses were either purchased, leased, remediated or built by local authorities and approved housing bodies.

 

• The acquisition of around 1,500 houses and apartments as part of this number, gives early delivery to meet social housing need.  

 

• There are still areas in the country where it is still more affordable to buy than to build – and we support such acquisitions where this makes sense.
• We also continued to remediate vacant social housing in 2016, with around 2,000 brought back to use.
  
  
• The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme delivered 12,000 homes for those on the housing waiting lists in 2016.  HAP is, and will remain, an important element in supporting the provision of housing for those in acute social need.
  
  
  
  Reuse Strategy
  
  

• A central element in “Rebuilding Ireland” is the development of a ‘National Vacant Houses Reuse Strategy’.  Work on this is progressing well.
  
  
• Preliminary results from Census 2016 show 200,000 dwellings (excluding holiday homes and derelict houses) are vacant, some 9.8% of overall housing stock.  By comparison, the Netherlands has a 2.5% vacancy rate.
  
  
• The ‘National Vacant Houses Reuse Strategy’ will be supplemented by a range of other measures including:

 

• The development of new urban renewal measures
• Projects under the Social Housing Capital Programme
• And the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
  
  

• I am especially pleased to see that opportunities for reuse of partially vacant premises, by delivering housing over the shop in Irish town and City centres, will be presented here tomorrow.
  
  
  
  Rapid Build
  
  
• In terms of accelerating delivery, we have looked hard at the rapid delivery programme.  We now have a panel of rapid build contractors selected under the new ‘Office of Government Procurement’ contract framework.
  
  
• Using this framework will save time on
  • design
  • procurement and
  • on the construction of social housing
    
    
• At the end of 2016, 350 rapid build units were advancing through various stages of delivery.  Of these, 22 units are being lived in at Poppintree, Ballymun.
  
  
• A further 650 units will be advanced in 2017, with 500 being targeted for delivery in 2018.

 

• I note with interest the presentation later today on the topic of‘Off Site fabrication to assist rapid delivery’.
  
  
  
  Quality Housing
  
  
• While innovation in housing design and the mechanisms to support accelerated delivery are to be welcomed, as we return to a more significant scale of housing provision, we must not lose sight of the fundamental principles of quality and sustainability.
• The quality of our built environment profoundly affects the quality of people’s everyday lives.  In very broad terms, good quality housing, both public and private, in sustainable communities needs to be: –
  
  
• socially & environmentally suitable in terms of density, type, affordability and mix of tenure;
  
  
• appropriate in terms of architectural design and accessibility;
  
  
• adaptable, durable and resource efficient;
  
  
• located in safe, secure and integrated neighbourhoods.
  
  
• I understand there will a number of sessions at conference tomorrow which will closely examine these themes. I will have a particular interest in hearing about your thoughts on ‘Promoting town and city centre regeneration’ in this context.
  
  
• Vince Lombardi, the famous American footballer and coach once said “perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”.
  
  
• And excellence is what is needed in terms of quality for Irelands housing sector.  

 

• Public tolerance for poor building quality has been well and truly exhausted; the mistakes of the past will be avoided.  Together we can ensure that quality and sustainability becomes the watchwords in all we do in Housing for decades to come.
  
  
  
  Conclusions
  
  

1. Ladies and gentlemen; returning to a sustainable and normal housing and construction sector is critical to support economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability.

• While the Government is acting, the challenge does not stop there.  
• To conclude, I have one ask of you today.  
  
  
• It is vital that, as the actions set out in “Rebuilding Ireland” are implemented, that you

 

• The local authorities,
• The approved housing bodies,
• The architects,
• The construction professionals,
• The planners,
• The builders and developers of Ireland
  
  

• proactively respond to the housing supply challenge we face.  I have no doubt that together we will succeed.
  
  
• I now look forward to listening to you, to what promises to be a stimulating conference.

 

• I wish you every success over the course of the next two days and for your future in the Housing in Ireland.

 
ENDS

Speech at Launch of Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge

Address by Mr. Damien English, T.D.

Minister of State

at the Rebuilding Ireland – Launch of Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge

on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 at 10:40 a.m.

at the Department of the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Conference Room, Custom House, Dublin 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be here this morning to launch the Rebuilding Ireland – Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge. As many of you are aware I announced, last September, at the National Ploughing Championships, that I had provided €100,000 in prize money to support the Design Challenge and today’s launch is the culmination of many months of hard work by the Design Challenge Steering Group, which is chaired by my Department.

At the outset, it is important to reiterate that homelessness and the acute shortage of homes available to those who need them is one of the greatest challenges facing this country today. It is having a profound effect on the daily lives of many individuals and families who feel they have been failed by the system and who urgently require homes.

As I have said before, the Government and I have made it our number one priority to resolve the housing and homelessness crisis and under “Rebuilding Ireland” we have set out a broadly based and comprehensive set of actions to do just that. However we cannot implement this plan without the collaboration and assistance of our partners in industry, our NGO’s and the wider public sector. This Design Challenge is a strong example of that collaboration.

Housing in Ireland and Rebuilding Ireland as a solution to the challenges

• As you may be aware “Rebuilding Ireland” sets out a practical and readily implementable set of actions that will increase housing supply to create a functioning and sustainable housing system that is capable of: –

• Providing homes for families in emergency accommodation;

• Tackling the underlying causes, addiction and otherwise, of people living on our streets;

• Producing a minimum of 25,000 housing units nation-wide every year by 2020;

• Responding post-2020 to meet future housing needs;

• Delivering more social housing, much faster, and putting in place financially sustainable mechanisms to meet current and future requirements for social housing supports.

• Since taking up this Ministry, I have seen daily the negative impacts that the housing shortage is having on our people and their families and how the whole system is struggling to cope and devise solutions.
• “Rebuilding Ireland” is, I believe, a really good starting point to resolve these problems. Our commitment of €5.35 billion will go a long way to providing much needed social housing and the €200m infrastructure fund should unlock the potential of key sites to deliver thousands of homes for the market.

• The Government has set out ambitious targets for the delivery of social housing supports over the lifetime of Rebuilding Ireland. Last year, over 18,300 social housing supports were provided across a range of delivery programmes. Within this, preliminary data show that around 5,280 new social houses were either purchased, leased, remediated or built by local authorities and approved housing bodies across the country using a range of funding mechanisms and delivery programmes.

 Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge

In addition to the actions aimed at the accelerated delivery of quality housing and a more responsive housing market, Pillar 2 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, contains specific commitments to meet the housing needs of the vulnerable, which includes our older people.

As with many of the themes within Rebuilding Ireland, addressing the needs of older people will require cross-Departmental and inter-agency co-operation and collaboration. In this regard, the commitments in the Action Plan are complementary to the objectives of the Programme for Actions for Smart Ageing published by the Department of the Taoiseach in April last year.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS), published in 2013, also provides a framework for cooperation to address age-related policy and service delivery across Government and society in the years ahead. This Strategy is intended to promote older people’s health and well-being so that older people can continue to contribute to social, economic, cultural and family life in their own communities for as long as possible, thereby representing a vision for an age-friendly society.

The Strategy also highlights that ageing is not just a health issue, but rather requires a whole of Government approach to address a range of social, economic and environmental factors that affect the health and wellbeing of our ageing citizens.

The ageing of our population represents one of the most significant demographic and societal developments that Ireland faces in the years ahead, with the number of people over the age of 65 expected to reach 1.4 million by 2041.

Across this same period, the number over the age of 80 is set to quadruple, from 128,000 in 2011 to some 480,000.

The implications for public policy in areas such as housing, health and urban and rural planning are considerable.

Government policy is to support older people to live with dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

In terms of cost effectiveness, home care costs in Ireland are estimated to be consistently lower than hospitalisation. For many, living in adapted or specialist housing reduces reliance on health and social care services and can result in measurably improved health status and lower rates of hospital admissions, while also contributing to a greater sense of well-being among our older population.

Smart ageing is a broad concept that has been largely defined as using technology and innovation in both the public and private sectors to design and produce products, services, solutions, and systems to improve the quality of life of people ages 50 and over.

Adaptable and smart homes will be the future in the developed world with advantages from saving energy to creating homes suitable for a lifetime. This Design Challenge presents an opportunity to develop the know-how and commercialise the knowledge of smart ageing adaptation to support assisted living for older people in their homes.

In terms of housing there are collaborative approaches already underway involving local authorities; the HSE; the Department of Health and NGO’s (such as Age Friendly Ireland). For example, the Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme, which provides a local multi-agency collaborative structure in partnership with older people, with local authorities taking the lead on changing thinking about ageing, and how services are planned and delivered.

The Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge aims to stimulate and encourage the design and construction industries to be innovative in designing and delivering housing solutions for older people and implements Action 2.19 of Rebuilding Ireland.

This Design Challenge, focuses on three distinct areas: –

• smart technologies in housing for older people;

• adaptation of existing houses to meet the needs of older people; and

• life-time communities.

As I mentioned earlier, my Department, established a steering group comprising the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design which is part of the National Disability Authority, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, the Construction Industry Federation, Enterprise Ireland and Dublin City Council.

This steering group, in consultation with stakeholder groups and other interested parties, has developed a comprehensive Design Challenge brief for the competition

This brief sets out clearly how to participate, what is required of potential entrants, and of course details regarding the awarding of prize money amounting to €100,000 that I announced late last year to support this “Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge”.

Conclusion

Returning to a normally functioning housing and construction sector is critically important in order to support economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability which will benefit all of our citizens irrespective of age, size or disability.

While the Government is acting, the challenge does not stop there. It is vital that, as the 84 actions to facilitate house building are implemented, local authorities, approved housing bodies, voluntary bodies, builders and developers proactively respond to the housing supply challenge.

The “Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge” is a small but key element of the Rebuilding Ireland solution.

I urge everyone involved in its implementation and those of you here today, to use your networks, contacts and organisations to promote and highlight the Design Challenge in order to elicit support and to invite entries from as many of our talented innovators as possible.

I call on anyone with a novel and inventive idea that can be further presented as a solution; that is feasible, cost effective and has the potential for mainstreaming into the future in support of smart ageing solutions to participate.

With this in mind, I hereby officially launch the “Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge” and would like to wish those who take part in the Challenge, every success. I also look forward to seeing the winning ideas and solutions incorporated into the future delivery of good quality housing to those who need it.

Calling all Meath West designers and innovators!

Minister English launches the Homes for Smart Ageing Universal Design Challenge

Today (31 January 2017) Damien English T.D., Minister for Housing and
Urban Renewal, launched the 2017 Homes for Smart Ageing Universal
Design Challenge. An initiative under the Rebuilding Ireland programme
(Action 2.19), the challenge aims to stimulate and encourage the
design and construction industries to be innovative in designing and
delivering housing solutions for older people.

Speaking at today’s launch, Minister English commented on the ageing
of Ireland’s population as representing one of the most significant
demographic and societal developments in the years ahead. He added
that, “with the number of people over the age of 65 expected to reach
1.4 million by 2041, the implications for public policy in areas such
as housing, health and urban and rural planning are considerable. This
challenge is aimed at harnessing novel and innovative ideas that will
improve the quality of life for older persons,in the context of
Rebuilding Ireland and the Programme of Actions for Smart Ageing.”

“To borrow a phrase, ‘we want to inspire people to think differently’
commented Ger Craddock, Chief Officer of the Centre for Excellence in
Universal Design. An expanding, ageing population, is a growing global
challenge, but one that can be tackled through new and innovative
thinking. We expect the talent in Ireland to demonstrate how simple
ideas can change people’s lives and benefit society as a whole.”

While primarily of interest to designers, the competition is open to
all. €100,000 worth of prizes is on offer, with five €10,000 awards
for commended entries after Round 1 and the grand prize of €50,000 for
the ultimate winner. The winning idea would be expected to make a
significant impact on Irish society, using universal design principles
to create products, services, solutions, and systems to improve the
quality of life for older persons in Ireland and ultimately, all of
us.  The winning entry should also be cost-effective, with the
potential for mainstreaming, in support of smart-ageing solutions, in
the areas of:

• Smart technologies in housing for older people, and/or;
• Adaptation of existing houses to meet the need of older people, and/or;
• Life-time communities.

The competition was launched in the Custom House today, 31 January,
and will be open for entries until the 13 March, 2017. All entries are
submitted online through the website,
www.homesforsmartageing-ud.com(link is external).

ENDS

About Rebuilding Ireland
Designed to accelerate housing supply in this country, Rebuilding
Ireland is tackling our country’s housing shortage. This action-driven
plan will result in a dramatic increase in the delivery of homes
nationwide. Ambitious and imaginative in its reach, and radical in its
approach, this plan will address the needs of homeless people and
families in emergency accommodation, accelerate the provision of
social housing, deliver more housing, utilise vacant homes and improve
the rental sector.

Backed by funding of €5.55 billion, Rebuilding Ireland is designed to
significantly increase the supply of social housing by 47,000, double
the output of overall housing to at least 25,000 homes per annum by
2021, service all tenure types (social, private and rental), and
tackle homelessness comprehensively. The wide-ranging plan seeks to
address all aspects of the housing system under Five Pillars:

• Address Homelessness
• Accelerate Social Housing
• Build More Homes
• Improve the Rental Sector
• Utilise Existing Housing

Rebuilding Ireland is available on www.rebuildingireland.ie(link is
external)  (link is external)
Follow us on Twitter for regular updates: @RebuildingIrl  #RebuildingIreland

About Universal Design
Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so
that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent
possible by all people, regardless of their age, size or disability.
This includes public places in the built environment such as
buildings, streets or spaces that the public have access to; products
and services provided in those places; and systems that are available
including information and communications technology (ICT).
(Disability Act, 2005)

Official opening of Leighlinbridge Housing Scheme

Speech by Minister English

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 Official opening of Leighlinbridge Housing Scheme

(Capital Assistance Scheme – 15 units and Communal Facility) 

6^th December, 2016

Good morning everyone. I was delighted to accept the kind invitation from my colleague Pat Deering T.D. to come here today to officially open this scheme at Leighlinbridge, and I sincerely thank you all for your warm welcome.

Visiting projects such as this one provides me with the opportunity to see the magnificent work being carried out locally in relation to the important area of housing. I understand this scheme provides 15 units of accommodation plus a communal facility with a coffee dock, relaxation area, laundry room and office. The funding provided by my Department includes €1.9m for the accommodation units and €112,500 for the communal facility. This does not include some €200,000 which I understand was provided through local fundraising, so it’s a great honour for me to be here to celebrate this combination of community drive and energy delivering on community need. This facility will allow people from the area to continue to live centrally within their own community. I am informed that the need for this accommodation was identified many years ago, which subsequently led to the formation of the Leighlinbridge Housing Association in 2006. I wish to specifically commend all the members of this Association along with the Chairman Michael Meaney.

This project is funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme, which the Government sees as an important mechanism for the delivery of social housing, as it supports sheltered housing projects around the country for people with specific categories of need. In conjunction with Leighlinbridge Housing Association, Carlow County Council, I’m glad to say, has been a great support for this project and I want to acknowledge the role of the Housing officials from the Council along with Eddie Nolan, the Clerk of Works. I am very much looking forward to viewing some of the new units and meeting with residents, once the official opening has been completed.

This Government understands the need for the construction of new social housing nationally to provide good quality housing into the future. Earlier this summer Rebuilding Ireland was published, an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. Over the period of the Plan, 47,000 homes will be delivered under the various social housing programmes, together with an expansion of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme nationwide. This delivery will be achieved through collaboration between local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the National Treasury Management Agency and the private sector.

The new Action Plan builds on the social housing targets and funding allocations that issued under the Social Housing Strategy to all local authorities in April of last year. Under the Social Housing Strategy over €1.5 billion in funding allocations was announced to support all local authorities to deliver social housing via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes out to 2017.

At this point almost €680 million has been allocated for over 3,900 social housing new builds, turnkey developments and acquisitions. I am keen that local authorities advance these projects as soon as possible and have assured them that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard.

The approval of these projects across all local authority areas including Carlow, demonstrates the Government’s support for the provision of social housing for those who need it all across the country. The new Action Plan demonstrates our vision, and our ambition to work in tandem with local and central government and others to bring a real response to social housing need in Ireland. Not only is there now a clear plan, but there are also high levels of funding committed to support local authorities to deliver.

I anticipate a notable ramping up in terms of both construction spend and delivery over the next year, and the measures set out in Rebuilding Ireland, Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness will have a direct benefit in that regard.

The jobs that projects like this support are also an important consideration for me. The Government’s investment in Housing is estimated to support or create 29,000 jobs in construction. That is another advantage of undertaking locally-focussed housing projects; it means that the employment opportunities also stay local, and I’m glad to recognise the input of all the construction and tradespeople on this excellent project.

However, it should be remembered that schemes such as this one are about more than just building the houses. They are about building thriving sustainable communities. Projects like this one, which is excellently designed and well located, imbue a great sense of pride and confidence in communities. This is a place where people want to live.

In this regard I wish to acknowledge and commend the Architectural services of Paul Kehoe Architects, Dublin, Quantity Surveyors KSN Consultants, Dublin, Engineers Roughan & O’Donovan, also Dublin and LJM Construction from Dunlavin who have expertly constructed these houses.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the residents of this facility the very best for the future in their new homes.

Thank You.

ENDS

 

Speech at Retrofit Insulation Masterclass in Athboy

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Opening address by Mr. Damien English, T.D.

Minister of State at the Department of the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government at the Retrofit Insulation Masterclass

on Tuesday, 25 October 2016 at 09:30 a.m. at

Ecological Building Systems, Athboy, County Meath.

Introduction

• Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be here this morning in this
state of the art knowledge centre to address the Retrofit Insulation
Masterclass. I understand the absolute importance of such training
events not just from the perspective of my current role as Minister for Housing and Urban
Renewal but also from the perspective of my previous role as Minister
for Skills, Research and Innovation at the Department of Education.

• At the outset I would like to thank MacCann & Byrne and Ecological
Building Systems for giving me the opportunity to be here with you
today. Recent changes to the Building Control Regulations have put a
strong emphasis on improving the competence and quality of the
construction industry. That is why I fully support today’s event and
other training events such as the Qualibuildconference which I have
also spoken at.

Rebuilding Ireland / Social Housing Retrofitting

• The Government and I have made it our number one priority to resolve
the housing and homelessness crisis and under “Rebuilding Ireland” we
have set out a broadly based and comprehensive set of actions to do
just that.

• A core objective of “Rebuilding Ireland” is delivering quality and
energy efficient housing in a way that meets current needs while
supporting sustainable communities and maximising the contribution of
the built environment to addressing climate change.

• Furthermore under the Social Housing Investment Programme my
Department is providing, via local authorities, funding of up to
€15,000 euro per dwelling for necessary works such as attic and wall
insulation, the replacement of windows and external doors and the
fitting of energy-efficient condensing boilers.

Building Control Framework & Construction Industry Register Ireland

• As you are all aware, we are in the middle of a severe housing
shortage and the delivery of quality housing in a short timeframe and
at an affordable price is critical to meeting the demand for
residential accommodation that has built up in our major urban areas
as the recovery in our economy is sustained and continues to grow.

• To ensure the delivery of quality homes a trained and skilled
workforce is required that can deliver dwellings built to high quality
standards, at scale and in a consistent and repeatable manner at a
reasonable cost.

• The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (or S.I. No. 9 of
2014 as they are known) require greater accountability in relation to
compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory
certification of design and construction by registered construction
professionals and builders, lodgement of compliance documentation,
mandatory inspections during construction and validation and
registration of certificates.

• In tandem with the commencement of S.I. No. 9 of 2014, the
Construction Industry Federation established Construction Industry
Register Ireland (or CIRI) as a voluntary register of builders,
contractors and specialist trade persons.

• To date over 800 Building and contracting entities are currently
included on the voluntary CIRI register and my Department will shortly
bring a Memorandum to Government for approval to begin drafting a Bill
to place the CIRI register on a statutory footing.

Climate Change & S.R. 54

• The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) report on building energy
ratings has advised that “57% of dwellings built since 2010 are “A”
rated.” This is a significant improvement in terms of new dwellings.

• However retrofitting of existing dwellings can make a significant
contribution to meeting climate change targets as 25% of all energy
use occurs in dwellings.

• My Department worked closely with the Department of Communications,
Climate Action and Environment, the Sustainable Energy Authority of
Ireland and the National Standards Authority of Ireland to produce
Standard Recommendation 54 – S.R. 54 – Code of Practice for the Energy
Efficient Retrofit of Dwellings.

• This provides technical guidance on the energy efficient retrofit of
dwellings based on the most recent standards and technical guidance.

• While there are many challenges currently facing the housing sector,
the Government remains fully committed to its climate change and
energy efficiency targets and retrofitting is an important element of
achieving them.

• The delivery of construction skills training programmes such as this
in the area of retrofitting is an important contributor to achieving
our climate change targets and delivering quality housing.

EPBD/NZEB & Major Renovations

• The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires that
all new buildings will be Nearly Zero Energy Buildings by the end of
December 2020 and that new buildings owned and occupied by public
authorities will be nearly zero energy after the end of December 2018.

• The Directive defines a Nearly Zero Energy Building or NZEB as a
building that has a very high energy performance where the nearly zero
or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very
significant extent by energy from renewable sources including energy
from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby.

• However what is of particular interest from a retrofitting
perspective is that the Directive will also apply to major renovations
where more than 25% of the surface area of the building envelope
undergoes renovation.

Conclusion

• While there are many challenges facing the housing sector, overall
the economy continues to improve and a robust Building Control
Framework is in place to ensure quality and competence in
construction. This new framework has created an increased demand for
training and it is heartening to see how enthusiastic many of you here
today are about improving standards.

• As William Butler Yeats once said “Education is not the filling of a
pail, but the lighting of a fire” and that is why it is important that
training events such as this are organised as they provide an
opportunity for an exchange of views to take place, increase
innovation and highlight best practice in the industry.

• Thank you.